No Power for Flour

Understanding the Role of White Flour on our Immune Systems with Sally Kravich

Many of you are now hearing about gluten-free diets. Although some of you may actually have a gluten allergy, others may experience an intolerance to wheat that you are unaware of. Wheat is a culprit for many sensitivities and allergies. The more wheat-containing, pasty foods you eat the more you become susceptible to external allergies (dust, animal hair, pollen), the more you may suffer from bronchial and sinus infections, and the more likely you are to develop high sensitivity to other foods. Lethargy, headaches, dark circles and general lack of vibrancy may also plague you.

This is because wheat creates mucus. And mucus creates an environment for growing disease. Bacteria, yeast (candida) and parasites all thrive in warm, moist environments. Mucus does not only exist in your respiratory system, it can congest your digestive system as well! In fact, the latter often causes the former.

Did you ever make glue when you were a child? It’s simple, take white flour, add water and voila, you have instant paste. Gluey foods are just that. GLUE! Can you imagine what this does to the inside of your colon? If you eat a diet filled with bagels and cream cheese, bread baskets, pizza, pasta, pastries and sandwiches your body never has a chance to break down these gluey foods. They will stick to your insides, sealing in cracks and crevices of your intestines, which in turn will seal in bacteria. This will lower your immune system. The gluey foods get impacted in the colon and it's harder to absorb nutrients. This will also cause you to put on weight.

Relatively minor congestion at first can become chronic. Your body becomes over-saturated, for there is more congestion coming in than going out. After a while the internal sensitivity takes over, and you become sensitive to your outer environment.This is how you can create allergies, bronchial and sinus problems, headaches, lethargy and more. Drugs or homeopathic remedies can help to relieve the effect or symptoms of congestion, but eventually your immune system will be compromised and will need medication for survival.

“When I was a child I was a severe asthmatic and allergic to most plants, weeds, dust and animals, says Sally. “I was quite sick regularly. This was in the early ‘60’s. The country was based on sliced white bread and casseroles and there was no alternative nutritional or medical curiosity. My mother was ahead of her time and in an attempt to cure me from my disabling asthmatic allergies and my constant bouts of illness she took me to Switzerland where naturopathic medicine was at a prime. The first thing I eliminated from my diet was wheat. (I also had to stop drinking milk as dairy is also a major maker of mucus.) Eventually the asthma disappeared and so did my sensitivity to my outer environment.”

People sometimes eliminate dairy products from their diets, and yet they will still experience head and lung congestion. Until wheat is eliminated or at least rotated with other whole grains, the congestion will continue to build. By eliminating that which is causing the congestion, over a period of time you can shed old mucus matter. Sinuses will drain. Lungs and bowels will expel mucus. Pounds will melt off. Energy levels will rise. Dark circles will lighten. Sore throats will lessen, ear canals can clear up, and allergies can be reduced. You will be less susceptible to getting colds and the flu. Eventually tissue can clear, strengthen, and rebuild.

The use of specific cleansing herbs along with the right dietary suggestions and juicing helps to speed up this process.

Sally suggests: Save white flour for a special occasion. “When raising my children I limited our intake of flour products to special occasions such as challah on Friday nights or for holidays and birthdays. Otherwise white flour, and wheat in general, was not in our diet.” Do not eat it day in and day out, you might as well eat paper. Wheat is the lowest nutrient grain on the totem pole. It’s comparable to iceberg lettuce in it's minimal nutrient content. Instead of wheat, look to wonderful grains such as quinoa, brown rice, rye, millet, buckwheat, oats, and even corn. You can make baked goods from these flours and other delicious dishes with their whole grains. The grains themselves contain B vitamins as well as fiber.

Colon health depends upon fiber to fight the effects of gluey foods. Always eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables along with fiber rich foods to keep your colon clean and happy. If your colon is clean, your skin will reflect this and you will discover a body that fits and supports you.

Sally Kravich, author of Vibrant Living, is one of the leading natural health practitioners in the country. Widely regarded as an authority on health, vitality, and wellness, Sally's advice has been cited in Harper's BAZAAR, W, Essence, and many other magazines. She has been featured as a nutritional expert for pregnancy with Aleta St. James on NBC's"Dateline".

Sally sees clients in New York City and Los Angeles. Phone sessions also available.

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